More Than You Think
by cherrichan13
Summary: Hitsugaya is dispatched to the real world for a special assignment. He'll never believe who he meets.


More Than You Think

Hitsugaya Toushiro sighed in frustration.

_This is so boring. _

He flicked open his cell phone for the millionth time, hoping to at least see a Menos warning blink across the screen. Nothing. He snapped the phone shut, an all-too-familiar scowl forming on his face.

_What a waste of time. _

Captains were never sent to patrol a real world town. Hitsugaya had enough to worry about at _Seireitei_, what with Matsumoto being his lieutenant. Under normal circumstances, he would never be stuck here doing what was normally considered to be a trivial job.

But this was different.

This little Japanese town was rich in spirit power. The levels were off the charts, almost matching Karakura Town. But the spirit pressure here was different. It was older, wiser, more chaotic…almost dark. It was an ancient presence that baffled even the 12th Squad Research Center. Arrancar arrived often, drawn by the immense amount of spirit power, but often disappeared quickly, barely causing any disturbance.

So Hitsugaya had been dispatched.

He had sensed the difference in the spirit pressure immediately. He couldn't put a finger on it, but it felt almost…familiar.

Hours passed. The sun was setting, bloodred against the horizon. The whole town was quiet.

Except for the orange-haired teenager slouching down the street.

"That's so stupid!" he shouted.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened. The boy was the core of a huge amount of the strange spirit pressure. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the light post, his permanent scowl etching its way deeper into the lines of his face. He could already tell that this was an annoying human. He wished he could ditch his _gigi_. But he knew he had to stay. He had to figure this out.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" squeaked the panicky brown-haired girl the mysterious teenager was walking. Her dark eyes were bright against her pale skin. "I'll try my hardest not to annoy you again!" She threw her fist in the air, a triumphant sparkle in her eye.

The orange-haired boy stared at her for a minute, bewildered. "Hmph," he muttered finally, before pulling the collar of his jacket up around his ears, trying to hide the slight flush that colored his cheeks. He strode past Hitsugaya and down the street, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

The brown-haired girl hurried after him…and promptly tripped over Hitsugaya, who caught her before she had the chance to hit the ground. The orange-haired teenager ran back towards the girl, alarm prominent on his face.

She started babbling as soon as she was standing again. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "I'm such a klutz, but thank you so much for catching me, I'm very grateful!" She smiled kindly. "Let me introduce myself. I am Tohru Honda, and this…" she motioned to the orange-haired boy, who scowled off into the distance. "Is Kyo-kun…ummm, I mean, Kyo Sohma." The boy nodded without looking at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya stared at the Tohru girl, his eyes wide. Unfortunately, he had been cursed many times in his life with with overly-talkative and overly-cheerful people. But this human girl was…different. There were no traces of spirit pressure on her, but she was…special.

_She's just like…_

He shook his head, trying to clear it of the painful reminder before bowing quickly at the waist. "It's nice to meet you Honda-san, Sohma. My name is Toushiro Hitsugaya."

Tohru bowed back exuberantly. "Nice to meet you!"

Kyo ignored Hitsugaya, seemingly still scowling at the horizon. But Hitsugaya wasn't a captain for nothing. He knew when he was being watched.

Tohru cast a worried glance at Kyo before returning her attention to Hitsugaya. "Excuse me, but may…may I call you…Shiro-san? I don't know why, I just seem to think that nickname fits you." She smiled at him again, apologetically.

Hitsugaya turned to Tohru his eyes wide. But he wasn't looking at the human girl anymore. He was looking through his mind's eye, looking back at another day in a different bloodred sunset, a breezy summer evening on the porch with a girl uncannily similar to this one…

"Shiro-san…I mean, Hitsugaya-san…is that okay?" Tohru looked at him with concern, but he saw someone else in her eyes. "Are…are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. It's fine," he murmured distractedly. His eyes suddenly focused again, sharp and curious. "May I ask you a question, Honda-san?" he hesitated. "What's your favorite fruit?"

"Hmmm, Tohru murmured, furrowing her brow. "I think mine is…watermelon. What about you,

Shiro-san?"

Hitsugay gulped. "Mine…mine is watermelon, too."

Tohru smiled. "I'm so happy!"

_I can't believe how similar they are. _

Kyo turned to Hitsugaya, looking him in the eyes for the first time. His gaze was hard, but there was an understanding there that Hitsugaya had never expected to see. "She's special, isn't she?"

Tohru looked back and forth between the two nervously.

Hitsugaya gulped and nodded. But the "she" he was thinking of had black hair, not brown, and wore a _zanpakuto _and a lieutenant's badge instead of a backpack and a school uniform. "Very."

"You have one too." Kyo phrased it as a statement rather than a question. Hitsugaya nodded gravely.

_Sharper than I would have suspected him to be._

Hitsugaya's phone beeped furiously, announcing the presence of a Hollow. He flipped it open, locating an Arrancar near the middle of town. "I've got to go. Nice to meet both of you, Sohma, Honda-san."

"Bye, Shiro-san!" Tohru called, waving.

Hitsugaya began to run, skidding to a stop after a few steps. He turned, looking Kyo square in the eye. "Don't you lose her."

Kyo stared right back. "You, either."

Hitsugaya nodded and ran away from the two people, allowing himself a rare smile.

_Momo. _


End file.
